Riverfront Park
Riverfront Park is a proposed 30-acre park and trail network along the Pearl River reconnecting the Downtown Jackson to its riverfront.
-
Riverfront Park is a proposed 30-acre public landscape that reimagines Jackson's relationship with the Pearl River. Located at the edge of Downtown on a bluff overlooking the river, the project seeks to convert a former landfill into a public park focused on recreation, ecological restoration, and access to the waterfront.
Although the Pearl River shaped the city's earliest history, decades of industrial development, transportation infrastructure, and changing land use gradually limited public access to the waterfront. Riverfront Park provides an opportunity to reconnect Downtown with the river through a landscape designed for both people and nature.
The park includes expansive lawns, scenic overlooks, a terraced amphitheater, walking and cycling trails, elevated boardwalks through restored wetlands, habitat restoration areas, public river access, and opportunities for future mixed-use development along Commerce Street. Together, these elements establish a connected public landscape that supports recreation, environmental education, habitat restoration, and community gathering.
Ecological restoration is central to the project. Native riparian plant communities, wetlands, floodable open space, and restored habitat are integrated throughout the site to improve biodiversity, strengthen ecological function, and demonstrate nature-based approaches to flood resilience. Rather than separating recreation from environmental infrastructure, Riverfront Park combines both within a landscape that responds to the river's natural systems while expanding public access.
The project has been intentionally designed to move forward independently or alongside future regional flood protection initiatives, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Alternative D1 plan. This flexibility allows Riverfront Park to advance as a public investment while maintaining opportunities to coordinate with future flood infrastructure improvements.
By repurposing a former landfill unsuitable for conventional development, the project demonstrates how underutilized land can become a public landscape that supports recreation, ecology, education, and stewardship. Riverfront Park establishes a new connection between Downtown Jackson and the Pearl River while creating opportunities for future investment along the riverfront.
-
2024 - Ongoing
-
Riverfront Park — 30 Acres
The River District — 150 Acres
-
Jackson, Mississippi
-
Project Advocacy & Support
Great City Mississippi Foundation | Downtown Jackson Partners | Commerce Street Business District | City of Jackson
Design & Engineering Partners
Rankin Hinds Pearl River Flood & Drainage Control District | Mendrop Engineering
Riverfront Park is a proposed 30-acre public landscape that reimagines Jackson's relationship with the Pearl River. Located at the edge of Downtown on a bluff overlooking the river, the project seeks to convert a former landfill into a public park focused on recreation and access to the waterfront.
Although the Pearl River shaped the city's earliest history, decades of industrial development, transportation infrastructure, and changing land use gradually limited public access to the waterfront. Riverfront Park provides an opportunity to reconnect Downtown with the river through a landscape designed for both people and nature. The project has been intentionally designed to move forward independently or alongside future regional flood protection initiatives, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Alternative D1 plan. This flexibility allows Riverfront Park to advance as a public investment while maintaining opportunities to coordinate with future flood infrastructure improvements.
Designing with Nature
The park includes expansive lawns, scenic overlooks, a terraced amphitheater, walking and cycling trails, elevated boardwalks through restored wetlands, habitat restoration areas, public river access, and opportunities for future mixed-use development along Commerce Street. These elements establish a connected public landscape that supports recreation, environmental education, habitat restoration, and community gathering.
The River District
The Pearl River has long shaped Jackson's history, economy, and ecology, yet much of the city's waterfront has remained physically disconnected from everyday life. The Jackson River District represents a vision to reconnect Downtown with the river through parks, trails, public spaces, ecological restoration, and future mixed-use investment. Anchored by Riverfront Park, the district seeks to transform former industrial land, underutilized properties, and fragmented open spaces into a connected landscape that benefits both people and nature.
